Ratchet-spanner for screw-bolts, &amp;c.



No. 794,952. PATBNTED JULY 18, 1905. F. W. SCHROEDBR. RATGHET SPANNERFOR SCREW BOLTS, &0.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1903.

WITNESS '5 LNVENTOR Nrrnn STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT trio.-

RATCHET-SPi -XNNER FOR SCREW-BOLTS, 81.0.

S'rEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,952, dated July18, 1905.

Application filed September 16, 1903. Serial No. 173,380.

To all whom 776 may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WILLIAM SOHROEDER, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 9 Arundel street, Strand,London, EnglanrLhave invented certain new and useful Improvements inRatchet-Spanners for Screw Bolts and Nuts, Nipples, and the Like and theCombination Thereof with othervTools or Implements, (for which I haveapplied for a patent in Great Britain, dated April 16, 1903, No. 8,672,)of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to spanner-s for scrcwingup thetightening-nuts, screw nipples, or sockets of wire wheelspokes. It is,however, applicable with advantage in all cases where an ordinaryratchetspanner is prevented from being fitted on a screw-nut or socketsituated on a rod or tube. When using ordinary spanners for thesepurposes, as it is not possible to turn the spanner completely roundwith the nut, owing to want of space, great delay and inconvenience iscaused in having after each partial turn through a certain angle to drawthe spanner off the nut in order to fit it on again in position foreffecting another part turn. According to my present invention I obviatethis inconvenience by a special construction of ratchet-spanner shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2an edge view. Figs. 3 and 4: are longitudinal sections at right anglesof the end of the spanner, showing the spanner applied to a wirewheelspoke and its screw nipple or socket.

The spanner consists of a handle a, formed with a ring-shaped head 5, inwhich is mounted a rotatable block 0, provided with ratchetteeth (Z,with which gears a spring-pawl e, mounted in a recess of the handle a.In order to enable the rotatable block to be easily removed, the pawl ismade to slide in the recess against the action of a light spring t. Tomake certain of the pawl acting, the space in which it slides isprovided with arecess a, into which the pawl is forced when in action,thus preventing it from being pushed back. The rotatable block 0 isformed on both sides with central square, hexagonal, or othershapedopenings f, adapted to fit on to screwnuts of various sizes, so thatwhen thus fitted on the block and nut will be rotated with astep-by-step ratchet-motion by the to-and-fro movement of the handle. Itis, however, not possible to employ spanners as usually formed in casessuch as above mentioned, as the wire spoke, rod, or tube 9 prevents theclosed eye of the spanner from being fitted on to the nut. According tothe present invention, therefore, I form both in the ring-shaped head I)of the handle and in the central rotatable block 0, on one side thereof,a transverse slot 71 extending through both parts from the circumferenceto the center, so that for using the spannor, the slots in the two partshaving been brought in line with each other, the wire spoke or rod 9, orit may be a tube, is passed in through the slots, so as to be eentrall ywithin the square orother hole of the block, whereupon the spanner canthe spoke rod or tube until its hole engages with the nut, nipple, orthe like that requires to be screwed up, this being now effected by theto-and-fro movement of the handle, as before described. The spring-pawlof the ratchet is made with a stop 8 for preventing it from enteringinto the slot of the central block as this passes round relatively toit.

The block 0 is preferably made with hexagonal recesses of difi'erentsizes on each face to fit different-sized nuts and with the centralsmall square holes f for fitting on small square nuts or nipple-heads.Other similar blocks having different sized or shaped recesses may besubstituted, so as to fit nuts of other sizes or shapes. The blocks arepreferably made with an enlarged disk is, having a milled edge, so thaton the spanner being held firmly in the hand the rotatable block can becaused to move round by moving it with the finger and thumb applied tothe milled edge of the disk 70 until greater leverage is required totighten the nut or nipple quite home, this being effected by operatingthe block by means of the handle.

As spanner-s of this kind are generally made of small size for theconvenience of carrying and handling them, I prefer to mount on therivet or pin Z, near the end of the handle a,

be passed along I 7 thumb to friction.

two hollowed disks m, so that instead of grasping the handle theoperator merely holds the disks between his finger and thumb, so that inmoving the handle to and fro the disks turn, and consequently do notsubject the finger and As shown in the drawings, the said rivet or pinconstitutes the pivot of the blade of a knife combined with the spanner.When the spanner has no blades, a separate eye is formed at the end ofthe handle in which the disks to are mounted. I prefer to combine suchspanners with other tools or implements, for which purpose I form thehandle thereof in asimilar manner to a pocketknife, as shown, so as tocontain one or more hinged knife-blades, a hinged corkscrew, a

' rimer or the like, while the end of the handle is formed'as ascrew-driver.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best meansI know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1. A spannercomprising a ring-shaped, radially-slotted head, a similarly-slottedblock rotatably mounted in the ring-shaped head, ratchet-teeth on saidblock, a spring-pawl mounted in the spanner-head and adapted to engagewith the ratchet-teeth, and a positive stop for preventing thedisengagement of the ratchet and pawl during the effective operation ofthe spanner; substantially as described.

2. A spanner having a rotatable block, a

handle and a spring-urged pawl having a projection arranged to engage a.corresponding recess in the handle, to prevent disengagement of theblock and pawl during the working stroke; substantially as described.

3. A spanner having a ratchet block, a hollow handle, a pawl mounted inthe hollow handle with longitudinal and lateral freedom, a spring tourge said pawl lengthwise into engagement with the ratchet-block, arecess in the pawl-seat and a corresponding projection on the pawl,adapted to engage the rearward side of said recess when the block isrotated.

4. In a spanner, a ratchet-block, a hollow handle, a shouldered, slidingpawl mounted in the handle and adapted to be displaced laterally, agroove in said pawl and a pin in the handle cooperating with saidgroove; substantially as described.

5. In a spanner, a rotatable ratchet-block, a handle, a pawl, and a pairof buttons revolubly mounted on opposite sides of said handle;substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK WILTJAM SCHROEDER.

